1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to foldable carts or caddies which are designed to help transport to a beach those items typically required for beach recreation, and more specifically to a cart which aids not only in the transportation but one which may also be used as a chair or table at the beach and which, in addition, is specially adapted for the transportation of two major beach items, an umbrella and a pressurized water wash.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The art of some form of cart or caddie with which to carry recreational items to the beach, which cart or caddie may then be used in some manner at the beach, is not new but, rather, is an art crowded with ideas and designs encompassing many of the same ideas. However, it is apparent from a casual observation on any warm day at any beach that the prior art devices are not present and have obviously failed to achieve acceptance. In fact, chairs, blankets, umbrellas, coolers, tote bags, radios, playpens, boggy boards, etc. are still awkwardly carried and dragged to the beach. A few of the more relevant prior art inventions designed to solve this problem are described below.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,157, Ciminelli describes an insulated beach box which is adapted to be wheeled or slid over terrain to reach a desired beach location. The beach box has a pivotally connected back which may be used as a handle when moving the box and as a seat back when sitting upon the box. The back includes a flexible member with pockets for storing personal items. While Ciminelli suggests that there is a need for a device to facilitate carrying utilitarian items to and from the beach, his invention provides for an insulated box and a seat/chair only. Ciminelli suggests that a beach umbrella may be stuck into the sand and clamped to the seat back to shade the seat's occupant. However, Ciminelli does not mention how the umbrella is carried to the beach and no provision for attachment to the beach box is described. During transit, Ciminelli suggests that miscellaneous beach items which can fit between the back and top of the beach box may be held on with a flexible strap.
Carlile, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,346, describes a collapsible cart, held together by the frictional engagement of its components and quickly disassembled, which may be used to carry articles to the beach. The cart has a pivotally attached bottom shelf, which may be locked into position with a set of folding braces, for carrying a cooler chest. The cart is supported in an upright position by a rest attached to the edge of the shelf when the shelf is in its locked position. A picnic basket with folding shelf is attached to the cart above the cooler chest. Carlile provides for a single umbrella holder on one of the cart's side arms and beverage holders on the other side arm. Additional bracket arms support one or more folding chairs. On the rear of the cart, a auxiliary storage bag is removably attached.
A beach caddie is described by Higson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,944 which incorporates a chair rack and platform assembly, and, when used in a horizontal position at the beach, provides a beach table. Although marginally described, the beach caddie apparently provides for the transportation of an umbrella and fishing poles as well as for their storage once at the beach. A topmost hinged section attached to the vertical members may be rotated at a right angle to the vertical members so that shafts of umbrellas and fishing poles may be placed through orifices therein. Such shafts rest upon the "upper cross-member 6" of the caddie although it is not clear whether the shafts engage the holes in the cross-member. It is also not clear what keeps the topmost hinged section from working against and flexing the fishing poles and/or umbrella shaft. The table surface of the caddie has orifices sized to hold umbrella and fishing pole shafts (presumably in an upright position for use) and orifices to hold drinks. Hook and loop fasteners secure the movable members when the caddie is used as a table at the beach.
Bonewicz, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,837, describes a carrier for transporting objects to the beach. Bonewicz describes a relatively straight-forward hand cart having a platform which either folds up parallel to the main frame or rotates perpendicularly to form a carrying surface. The platform has locking braces on its underside which engage the side rails to support the weight of the items being transported. In one embodiment the cart has a "cup-like" member located near the lower end of a side frame and a hook-like clasping member mounted higher on the same side frame. An umbrella may be attached with its top end in the cup-like receptacle and the hook-like element encircling its lower end. It is not clear what happens when the umbrella diameter exceeds the size of the hook-like member. The cart is further provided with a picnic basket or bag which may be mounted between the two frame members to carry additional articles. In a preferred embodiment, a hollow bag may be slipped over the upright frame and held by a strap to the handle. In this embodiment, the hook-like member and the cup-like member are not used and an umbrella can not be carried on the cart. Like Ciminelli an elastic cord may be stretch between the upright frame and the platform to restrain items placed on the platform.
While these devices of the prior art address some of the needs of a typical beach goer, it is clear that not one of the devices address all the problems which are solved by the beach buddy of the present invention and, in particular, perhaps the most frequently encountered problem of beach activity is not met. Specifically, either at the beach or upon leaving the beach, everyone is ultimately faced with the problem of removing either wet or dry sand from their bodies and especially from their feet before being able to put on a pair of shoes or sandals. This is particularly troublesome if the person needs to walk a long distance or is going to be driving a car. For those persons returning from an ocean beach, the problems is compounded by the residual stickiness from the salt water. Another problem with devices of the prior art is that many of them, such as that of Bonewicz, do not perform a useable function once at the beach, and essentially amount to another useless article which one must be careful not to trip over. These and other deficiencies in prior art devices are overcome with the beach buddy of this invention.